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Widely considered MTG's most social way to play, the Elder Dragon Highlander format just got a festive makeover just in time for the festive season. As part of a special video, personalities Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong showcased a multiplayer match dubbed "Holiday Countdown."

How the Festive Format Works

The basic idea involves a straightforward layer superimposed on a standard Commander match. A rotating token moves between players. Once it arrives at the current player's upkeep, the action halts for a moment. All gamers privately decides whether they're being Nice or Naughty with the help of choice cards.

All players flip their choice simultaneously. They then carry out the consequence associated with their decision, first with the person holding the token. The token is subsequently handed to the next player. The countdown moves forward by one step, and regular gameplay carries on.

The Naughty/Nice options do escalate as the rounds go on, feeling carefully crafted.

Increasing Choices

At the start offered minor, collective benefits for being Nice, including life gain or investigation clues. On the other hand, The Naughty options usually provided more specific advantages, frequently targeting another player. For instance let players choosing Naughty get a powerful airborne Reindeer token. Anyone who picked Nice generated a 1/1 Toy token creature for everyone.

Santa's Big Finale

When the eighth round, Father Christmas personally made an appearance, turning the game. According to how often each player was Naughty versus Nice, Santa distributed sealed “gifts”. Outwardly, these were small containers, but inside were Magic booster packs of varying value.

• The nicest player got a high-value Collector Booster.
• The second-nicest player opened a slightly less valuable premium pack.
• A special guest received a older set.
• The least nice player got the worst prize: a notoriously weak set which is basically a punchline.

Every card from these packs instantly were used for the rest of the game, played from outside the game by spending mana as though it were colorless. Players who were nice participants, their boon wound up being a huge boost. However, the naughty players basically received coal in their stocking.

Trying the Variant at Home

Although the video featured considerable custom components, this is a concept that players can adapt in their own playgroup. Participants would bring their regular Commander deck, and all you'd need would be a selection of booster packs of varying value.

The main challenge lies in the fact that if players know the rewards in advance the best pack's identity, they all try to get the best booster pack. You could add variety with alternatives, such as selecting cards from a communal pile or allowing participants to pull cards they own not in their deck.

From how the format played out, this holiday variant stands as a festive format to create laughter this holiday season. It changes the social interplay between players in a uniquely festive way, creating a unique way to play for Magic players this season.